A travel tip

I'm taking this opportunity to offer some unsolicited advice to readers who may have suffered constipation problems in the past while traveling. Pack a Fleet Bag Enema in your suitcase before leaving home. Not the chemical squeeze bottle disposables, but a hospital type disposable 1.5 litre enema bag in a small box that's easy to fit in your travel bag.

These are usually not stocked in your local drugstore, but the pharmacist can order them for you. In the US they typically cost less than $5.00, and although they are labeled as disposable, they are intended for single patient use and can be used a number of times.

I am motivated to post this because last week I gave 2 colonics to a client who came in after spending a week on vacation with her boyfriend in Belize on a diving and snorkeling vacation. She is in her mid-20's and has a history of problems with constipation, and wanted to take her enema bag along, but decided not to do so.

The reason? Because she was afraid when going through security if they checked her suitcase and found it it would be embarrassing. So she left it home and packed 2 Fleet squeeze bottle pre-packaged chemical disposable enema units instead, along with a box of glycerin suppositories and some Correctol. She had been eliminating regularly prior to leaving so she wasn't too worried.

But things got off to a bad start when they arrived at the airport at 5 AM the morning of departure and their flight was delayed. Having to get up that early and rush to get to the airport meant she didn't have time to try to go at home before leaving, and she said she has never been able to relax enough to go in an airport or gas station bathroom or anywhere similar. It was about then when she regretted not having an enema the night before so it wouldn't be something she would have to worry about on travel day.

Eventually they were rerouted on another airline and connecting flight and arrived at their destination after midnight. She took some Correctol in hopes that it would kick in the next morning. It didn't, and so started her week of sun and surf.

To sum things up, she described the week she had looked forward to all winter as miserable. Nothing she had taken along worked, and although she had a few small BM's, she felt bloated and lethargic the entire week.

When she arrived home the following Saturday night she told me that before unpacking her suitcase the first thing she did was to make a beeline to the bathroom to prepare an enema.

She was not the first person I've treated who had a vacation or business trip ruined by constipation problems. Travel, with time zone changes, along with different eating and sleep routines can wreak havoc on otherwise regular elimination habits. Although it's not something we like to think about before embarking on a trip, for peace of mind it makes sense to plan ahead and prepare for the worse. Pack an enema bag, just in case.

Valerie